Field of the Invention
At least one embodiment in accord with the present invention relates generally to systems and methods for data center management, and more specifically, to systems and methods for managing data center cooling.
Discussion of Related Art
In response to the increasing demands of information-based economies, information technology networks continue to proliferate across the globe. One manifestation of this growth is the centralized network data center. A centralized network data center typically consists of various information technology equipment, collocated in a structure that provides network connectivity, electrical power and cooling capacity. Often the equipment is housed in specialized enclosures termed “racks” which integrate these connectivity, power and cooling elements. In some data center configurations, these racks are organized into rows and clusters having hot and cold aisles to decrease the cost associated with cooling the information technology equipment. These characteristics make data centers a cost effective way to deliver the computing power required by many software applications.
Various processes and software applications, such as the InfrastruXure® Central product available from American Power Conversion Corporation (APC) of West Kingston, R.I., have been developed to aid data center personnel in designing and maintaining efficient and effective of data centers configurations. These tools often guide data center personnel through activities such as designing the data center structure, positioning equipment within the data center prior to installation and adding, repositioning, or removing equipment after construction and installation are complete. Thus, conventional tool sets provide data center personnel with a standardized and predictable design methodology.
Because of local variations in the delivery of cool air to racks and/or the capture of hot rack exhaust air from racks, even after careful design using such tools it is almost always the case that some rack locations have either too much or too little cooling. This is not only the case for primary (non-failure-mode) cooling but for various cooling-failure modes as well. To compensate for this rack-to-rack variation in (primary and failure-mode) cooling, a facility is often over designed—often by a large margin as the consequences of downtime are severe. This over-provisioning of (primary and failure-mode) cooling equipment results in excessive capital and operating costs.